Content suggestion system

ABSTRACT

A content suggestion system to generate and cause display of a set of chat suggestions based on messages received at a client device. The content suggestions system is configured to display messages that include message content at a client device, and identify content selected by a user of the client device to be included in a response to the messages received at the client device. The content suggestion system tracks and stores a number of times in which a particular pair of content appear in succession in a chat context, and calculates a ranking of the content among a set of available content. When subsequent messages that include the content of the content pair are displayed at the client device, the content suggestion system retrieves and presents a set of content as suggestions, based on the corresponding ranks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/952,859, filed Apr. 13, 2018, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to mobilecomputing technology and, more particularly, but not by way oflimitation, to systems for managing content of chat sessions betweenusers.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices (such as smart phones, personal digital assistants,computer tablets, smart watches, and so on) are ubiquitous. Mobiledevices provide advanced computing capabilities and services to users,such as voice communications, text and other messaging communications,video and other multimedia communications, streaming services, and soon. Often, users send and receive data (e.g., messages), and otherwisecommunicate with one another via mobile devices.

Existing text-based communication applications (e.g., text messaging,instant messaging, chats, email, and so on) provide users with userselectable options for supplementing input text with pictorial elements,such as emojis and other ideograms, pictograms, images, GIFs,animations, videos, and other multimedia content. Users may search forand select various elements into their message to provide additionalcontext to text-based content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, themost significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to thefigure number in which that element is first introduced.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system forexchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a networkin accordance with some embodiments, wherein the messaging systemincludes a content suggestion system.

FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating further details regarding amessaging system, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating various modules of a contentsuggestion system, according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for ranking chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for presenting chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for presenting chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for ranking chat content to bepresented as a chat suggestion, according to certain exampleembodiments.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an interface to display a chat suggestion,according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an interface to display a chat suggestion,according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a representative softwarearchitecture, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described and used to implement variousembodiments.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional chat systems often provide certain “chat suggestions” basedon explicit (or implicit) inputs received from a user, wherein the chatsuggestions typically comprise a subsequent text element (e.g., a word,a letter, a punctuation, etc.). These conventional chat systems are ableto (at best) provide a suggestion based on an input received at theclient device (e.g., the user of the client device begins to draft aresponse), or based on an existing dictionary or lexicon of common wordsor phrases. More recently, chat systems have been developed which enableusers to communicate with one another through unconventional messagecontent that do not fit within the existing chat suggestion frameworks,due in part to the abstract nature of the content and a constantlychanging contextual meaning of the content itself.

For example, some platforms enable individuals to communicate with oneanother by generating and sharing content such as pictograms andideograms through a chat interface, wherein a meaning or context of thepictogram or ideogram is not immediately obvious. As a result,generating chat and messaging suggestions that include such content ischallenging, and may currently require a significant amount of frontendwork to categorize and define content within database. While this may bea sufficient solution in the short term, such databases would require agreat deal of maintenance and administrator input in order to add orupdate the content on a regular basis.

Embodiments described herein relate to a content suggestion system togenerate and cause display of a set of chat suggestions based onmessages received at a client device. The content suggestions system isconfigured to display messages that include message content at a clientdevice, and identify content selected by a user of the client device tobe included in a response to the messages received at the client device.The content suggestion system tracks and stores a number of times inwhich a particular pair of content appear in succession in a chatcontext, and calculates a ranking of the content among a set ofavailable content. When subsequent messages that include the content ofthe content pair are displayed at the client device, the contentsuggestion system retrieves and presents a set of content assuggestions, based on the corresponding ranks.

“Message content,” as discussed herein may refer to various types ofmedia items that may be included within messages (e.g., text messages,ephemeral message, e-mails, private messages, direct messages, forumposts, etc.) displayed at a client devices. For example, message contentmay include a text string, pictograms or ideograms (e.g., emoji),images, audio data, video data, as well as personalized avatars (e.g.,Bitmoji). Content pairs may comprise any combination of the varioustypes of message content discussed above.

The content suggestion system is configured to cause display of amessage that includes message content (e.g., first content) at a clientdevice, and receive a selection of second content from a selection ofcontent options. In response to receiving the selection of the secondchat content, the content suggestion system indexes and stores a contentpair that comprises the first content and the second content, andincrements a usage counter that corresponds to the content pair andindicates a number of times in which the content pair occurred in amessage context (i.e., when the second content was used in a response toa message that included the first content). The content suggestionsystem ranks the second content among a set of content based on theusage metric of the content pair.

In response to receiving a subsequent message that includes the firstcontent at the client device, the content suggestion system retrievescontent from a content database, based on rankings corresponding tocontent pairs that include the first content. For example, the contentsuggestion system may retrieve the second content from the database,based on the usage metric of the content pair that comprises the firstcontent and the second content. The content suggestion system generatesa presentation of the retrieved content, wherein a ranking (i.e., adisplay order) of the content is based on the corresponding usagemetrics. The presentation of the suggested content may be displayed in aportion of a chat interface, for example, proximate to a keyboardelement. In some embodiments, the presentation of the suggested contentis displayed responsive to receiving a user input to display thekeyboard element.

Occasionally, the ranking of the content may result in identical, ornearly identical content to be displayed in a most prominent positionamong the suggestion content. In some embodiments, the contentsuggestion system identifies a top ranked portion of the content (e.g.,top 6), and randomizes a display order of the top ranked portion of thecontent in a presentation of the content, in order to provide additionalvariety and a set of more interesting suggestions to a user.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system 100 forexchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network.The messaging system 100 includes multiple client devices 102, each ofwhich hosts a number of applications including a messaging clientapplication 104. Each messaging client application 104 iscommunicatively coupled to other instances of the messaging clientapplication 104 and a messaging server system 108 via a network 106(e.g., the Internet).

Accordingly, each messaging client application 104 is able tocommunicate and exchange data with another messaging client application104 and with the messaging server system 108 via the network 106. Thedata exchanged between messaging client applications 104, and between amessaging client application 104 and the messaging server system 108,includes functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) as well aspayload data (e.g., text, audio, video or other multimedia data).

The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functionality viathe network 106 to a particular messaging client application 104. Whilecertain functions of the messaging system 100 are described herein asbeing performed by either a messaging client application 104 or by themessaging server system 108, it will be appreciated that the location ofcertain functionality either within the messaging client application 104or the messaging server system 108 is a design choice. For example, itmay be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technology andfunctionality within the messaging server system 108, but to latermigrate this technology and functionality to the messaging clientapplication 104 where a client device 102 has a sufficient processingcapacity.

The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operationsthat are provided to the messaging client application 104. Suchoperations include transmitting data to, receiving data from, andprocessing data generated by the messaging client application 104. Insome embodiments, this data includes, message content, client deviceinformation, geolocation information, media annotation and overlays,message content persistence conditions, social network information, andlive event information, as examples. In other embodiments, other data isused. Data exchanges within the messaging system 100 are invoked andcontrolled through functions available via GUIs of the messaging clientapplication 104.

Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, anApplication Program Interface (API) server 110 is coupled to, andprovides a programmatic interface to, an application server 112. Theapplication server 112 is communicatively coupled to a database server118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in which is stored dataassociated with messages processed by the application server 112.

Dealing specifically with the Application Program Interface (API) server110, this server receives and transmits message data (e.g., commands andmessage payloads) between the client device 102 and the applicationserver 112. Specifically, the Application Program Interface (API) server110 provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that canbe called or queried by the messaging client application 104 in order toinvoke functionality of the application server 112. The ApplicationProgram Interface (API) server 110 exposes various functions supportedby the application server 112, including account registration, loginfunctionality, the sending of messages, via the application server 112,from a particular messaging client application 104 to another messagingclient application 104, the sending of media files (e.g., images orvideo) from a messaging client application 104 to the messaging serverapplication 114, and for possible access by another messaging clientapplication 104, the setting of a collection of media data (e.g.,story), the retrieval of a list of friends of a user of a client device102, the retrieval of such collections, the retrieval of messages andcontent, the adding and deletion of friends to a social graph, thelocation of friends within a social graph, opening and application event(e.g., relating to the messaging client application 104).

The application server 112 hosts a number of applications andsubsystems, including a messaging server application 114, an imageprocessing system 116, a social network system 122, and a contentsuggestion system 124. The messaging server application 114 implements anumber of message processing technologies and functions, particularlyrelated to the aggregation and other processing of content (e.g.,textual and multimedia content) included in messages received frommultiple instances of the messaging client application 104. As will bedescribed in further detail, the text and media content from multiplesources may be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., calledstories or galleries). These collections are then made available, by themessaging server application 114, to the messaging client application104. Other processor and memory intensive processing of data may also beperformed server-side by the messaging server application 114, in viewof the hardware requirements for such processing.

The application server 112 also includes an image processing system 116that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations,typically with respect to images or video received within the payload ofa message at the messaging server application 114.

The social network system 122 supports various social networkingfunctions services, and makes these functions and services available tothe messaging server application 114. To this end, the social networksystem 122 maintains and accesses an entity graph 304 within thedatabase 120. Examples of functions and services supported by the socialnetwork system 122 include the identification of other users of themessaging system 100 with which a particular user has relationships oris “following,” and also the identification of other entities andinterests of a particular user.

The application server 112 is communicatively coupled to a databaseserver 118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in which isstored data associated with messages processed by the messaging serverapplication 114.

FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating further details regarding themessaging system 100, according to example embodiments. Specifically,the messaging system 100 is shown to comprise the messaging clientapplication 104 and the application server 112, which in turn embody anumber of some subsystems, namely an ephemeral timer system 202, acollection management system 204 and an annotation system 206.

The ephemeral timer system 202 is responsible for enforcing thetemporary access to content, such as personalized avatars (e.g.,Bitmoji), permitted by the messaging client application 104 and themessaging server application 114. To this end, the ephemeral timersystem 202 incorporates a number of timers that, based on duration anddisplay parameters associated with a message, collection of messages, orgraphical element, selectively display and enable access to messages andassociated content via the messaging client application 104. Furtherdetails regarding the operation of the ephemeral timer system 202 areprovided below.

The collection management system 204 is responsible for managingcollections of media (e.g., collections of text, image video and audiodata, personalized avatars). In some examples, a collection of content(e.g., messages, including images, video, text and audio) may beorganized into an “event gallery” or an “event story.” Such a collectionmay be made available for a specified time period, such as the durationof an event to which the content relates. For example, content relatingto a music concert may be made available as a “story” for the durationof that music concert. The collection management system 204 may also beresponsible for publishing an icon that provides notification of theexistence of a particular collection to the user interface of themessaging client application 104.

The collection management system 204 furthermore includes a curationinterface 208 that allows a collection manager to manage and curate aparticular collection of content. For example, the curation interface208 enables an event organizer to curate a collection of contentrelating to a specific event (e.g., delete inappropriate content orredundant messages). Additionally, the collection management system 204employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and contentrules to automatically curate a content collection. In certainembodiments, compensation may be paid to a user for inclusion of usergenerated content into a collection. In such cases, the curationinterface 208 operates to automatically make payments to such users forthe use of their content.

The annotation system 206 provides various functions that enable a userto annotate or otherwise modify or edit media content associated with amessage. For example, the annotation system 206 provides functionsrelated to the generation and publishing of media overlays for messagesprocessed by the messaging system 100. The annotation system 206operatively supplies a media overlay to the messaging client application104 based on a geolocation of the client device 102. In another example,the annotation system 206 operatively supplies a media overlay to themessaging client application 104 based on other information, such as,social network information of the user of the client device 102. A mediaoverlay may include audio and visual content and visual effects.Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, texts, logos,animations, and sound effects, as well as animated facial models, suchas those generated by the content suggestion system 124. An example of avisual effect includes color overlaying. The audio and visual content orthe visual effects can be applied to a media content item (e.g., aphoto) at the client device 102. For example, the media overlayincluding text that can be overlaid on top of a photograph generatedtaken by the client device 102. In another example, the media overlayincludes an identification of a location overlay (e.g., Venice beach), aname of a live event, or a name of a merchant overlay (e.g., BeachCoffee House). In another example, the annotation system 206 uses thegeolocation of the client device 102 to identify a media overlay thatincludes the name of a merchant at the geolocation of the client device102. The media overlay may include other indicia associated with themerchant. The media overlays may be stored in the database 120 andaccessed through the database server 118.

In one example embodiment, the annotation system 206 provides auser-based publication platform that enables users to select ageolocation on a map, and upload content associated with the selectedgeolocation. The user may also specify circumstances under which aparticular media overlay should be offered to other users. Theannotation system 206 generates a media overlay that includes theuploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selectedgeolocation.

In another example embodiment, the annotation system 206 provides amerchant-based publication platform that enables merchants to select aparticular media overlay associated with a geolocation via a biddingprocess. For example, the annotation system 206 associates the mediaoverlay of a highest bidding merchant with a corresponding geolocationfor a predefined amount of time

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of the contentsuggestion system 124 that configure the content suggestion system 124to perform operations that include: causing display of a message withina chat interface at a client device (e.g., client device 102A), whereinthe message includes first content, such as a particular personalizedavatar (e.g., a Bitmoji); receiving a selection of second content fromthe client device 102A, wherein the second content may include adifferent personalized avatar to be assigned to a response to themessage; incrementing a usage metric corresponding to a content pairthat includes the first content and the second content in response toreceiving the selection of the second content from the client device102A; and ranking the second content among a set of content based on theusage metric of the corresponding content pair, according to someexample embodiments. The content suggestion system 124 is shown asincluding a presentation module 302, a ranking module 304, a contentselection module 306, and a communication module 308, all configured tocommunicate with each other (e.g., via a bus, shared memory, or aswitch). Any one or more of these modules may be implemented using oneor more processors 310 (e.g., by configuring such one or more processorsto perform functions described for that module) and hence may includeone or more of the processors 310.

The presentation module 302 is configured to generate and cause displayof presentations of notifications and messages that include content atclient device (e.g., the client device 102A and the client device 102B),according to some example embodiments.

The ranking module 304 is configured to calculate usage metrics ofcorresponding content pair based on user activity that includes aselection of content via a client device, according to some exampleembodiments.

The content selection module 306 is configured to select and curate aset of content to be presented (e.g., by the presentation module 302) asa chat suggestion, based on the ranking by the ranking module 304,according to some example embodiments.

The communication module 308 is configured to facilitate the exchange ofmessages and communication between client devices and the network 106,according to certain example embodiments.

Any one or more of the modules described may be implemented usinghardware alone (e.g., one or more of the processors 310 of a machine) ora combination of hardware and software. For example, any moduledescribed of the content suggestion system 124 may physically include anarrangement of one or more of the processors 310 (e.g., a subset of oramong the one or more processors of the machine) configured to performthe operations described herein for that module. As another example, anymodule of the content suggestion system 124 may include software,hardware, or both, that configure an arrangement of one or moreprocessors 310 (e.g., among the one or more processors of the machine)to perform the operations described herein for that module. Accordingly,different modules of the content suggestion system 124 may include andconfigure different arrangements of such processors 310 or a singlearrangement of such processors 310 at different points in time.Moreover, any two or more modules of the content suggestion system 124may be combined into a single module, and the functions described hereinfor a single module may be subdivided among multiple modules.Furthermore, according to various example embodiments, modules describedherein as being implemented within a single machine, database, or devicemay be distributed across multiple machines, databases, or devices.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 for ranking chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments. Operations of themethod 400 may be performed by the modules described above with respectto FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the method 400 includes one or moreoperations 402, 404, 406, and 408.

At operation 402, the presentation module 302 causes display of amessage within a chat interface at a client device 102A, wherein themessage includes first content. For example, the message may begenerated by a client device 102B and transmitted through the network106 to the client device 102A. The first content of the message includesmedia content such as personalized avatar, like a Bitmoji.

At operation 404, the communication module 308 receives a selection ofsecond content at the client device 102A, wherein the second content isto be assigned to a response to the message displayed at the clientdevice 102A. For example, a user of the client device 102A may draft aresponse to the message by selecting or generating a personalized avatarfrom among a selection of personalized avatars.

At operation 406, the ranking module 304 increments a usage metricassociated with a content pair that includes the first content and thesecond content in response to receiving the selection of the secondcontent from the client device 102A. In some embodiments, the database120 may comprise a set of content pairs based on selections of content.The ranking module 304 may index and store content pairs within thedatabase 120 based on selections of content made by users. For example,a user of the client device 102A may receive a message that includesfirst content (e.g., “Bitmoji A”) and in drafting a response, the userof the client device 102B selects second content (e.g., “Bitmoji B”). Inresponse to the user selecting the second content, the ranking module304 indexes and stores a content pair that comprises the first contentand the second content, and increments a usage metric that defines anumber of times in which “Bitmoji B” is sent in response to “Bitmoji A.”At operation 408, the ranking module 304 ranks the content pair among aset of content pairs based on the corresponding usage metric.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 for presenting chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments. Operations of themethod 500 may be performed by the modules described above with respectto FIG. 3. The method 500 may be performed as a part of or subsequent toone or more of the operations of the method 400. As shown in FIG. 5, themethod 500 includes one or more operations 502, 504, and 506.

At operation 502, the presentation module 302 generates and causesdisplay of a second message (e.g., a message subsequent to the messagedisplayed in operation 402 of the method 400) within the chat interfaceof the client device 102A, wherein the second message includes contentsuch as the first content described in the method 400.

In response to displaying the presentation of the second message at theclient device 102A, the content selection module 306 generates apresentation of a set of suggested content based on the contentdisplayed within the second message. The presentation of the set ofsuggested content includes a display of the second content at a positionamong the set of suggested content, wherein the position of the secondcontent is based on the ranking of the second content. At operation 506,the presentation module 302 causes display of the presentation of theset of suggested content within a portion of the chat interface at theclient device 102A.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for presenting chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments. Operations of themethod 600 may be performed by the modules described above with respectto FIG. 3. The method 600 may be performed as a part of the method 400(e.g., a precursor, or subroutine of one of the operations). As shown inFIG. 6, the method 600 includes one or more operations 602, 604, 608,and 610.

At operation 602, the presentation module 302 causes display of amessage at the client device 102A, wherein the message includes messagecontent comprising a text string.

At operation 604, in response to displaying the message that comprisesthe text string at the client device 102A, the content selection module306 converts the text string to a tag. The tags may be based on the textstring themselves, or may be based on a category. For example, the textstring of the message may read, “Hello.” The content selection module306 may identify a tag that corresponds with various greetings, whereinthe tag is associated with one or more items of media content within thedatabase 120. At operation 606, the content selection module 306identifies media content (e.g., the first media content) based on thetext string and the tag.

At operation 608, in response to identifying the first content based onthe presentation of the second message that includes the text string atthe client device 102A, the content selection module 306 generates apresentation of a set of suggested content based on the first contentdisplayed within the message. The content selection module 306 retrievesthe content pairs associated with the first content, and generates thepresentation of the set of suggested content based on the content pairs,wherein a sort order of the set of suggested content is based on theusage metrics corresponding to each of the content pairs.

At operation 610, the presentation module 302 causes display of thepresentation of the set of suggested content within a portion of thechat interface at the client device 102A.

FIG. 7 is a diagram 700 illustrating a method for ranking chat contentto be presented as a chat suggestion, according to certain exampleembodiments.

As discussed above, with respect to the method 400, the ranking module304 calculates a usage metric of a content pair and ranks content basedon the usage metric. According to some example embodiments, the rankingmodule 304 may generate one or more matrices (e.g., matrices 702 and704), wherein each row of a matrix (e.g., row 706 and row 708) comprisesusage metrics of content pairs (i.e., a number of times a particularcontent pair is used). In some embodiments, the ranking module 304 maygenerate a personalized matrix (e.g., matrix 702), as well as a generalmatrix (e.g., matrix 704), wherein the personalized matrix correspondsto the specific usage metrics of a particular user of the client device102A, whereas the general matrix corresponds to the usage metrics of apopulation of users.

The ranking module 304 identifies the highest ranking content pairsbased on the usage metrics, and generates sorted index lists 710 and712, wherein the sorted index lists comprise a list of content pairsbased on content pair identifiers, such as content pair identifier 714(e.g., “2500”). In some embodiments, the first element (i.e., contentpair identifier) in the list corresponds to the highest ranking pairbased on usage metrics.

The ranking module removes replicates between the sorted index list 710and 712, and interleaves the sorted index lists to generate a finalinterleaved index list 716, that comprises a set of suggested content.The presentation module 302 generates a presentation of the set ofsuggested content based on the final interleaved index list 716.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an interface 800 to display a set of chatsuggestions 802, according to certain example embodiments. As seen inthe interface 800 is displayed at a client device 102A, as described inthe method 400 of FIG. 4.

The presentation module 302 may display a message within the interface800, wherein the message comprises first content 804. As seen in FIG. 8,the first content 804 includes a personalized avatar, such as a Bitmoji.

In response to receiving the message that includes the first content804, the presentation module 302 generates and causes display of the setof suggested content 802, wherein the set of suggested content 802 isbased on the first content 804.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an interface 900 to display a set of chatsuggestions, according to certain example embodiments. As described inthe method 600 of FIG. 6, the presentation module 302 may generate andcause display of a message (e.g., message 904) that comprises firstcontent that may include a text string.

In response to receiving the message 904 that includes a text string,the content selection module 306 converts the text string of the message904 to a tag, and identifies media content (e.g., the first mediacontent) based on the text string and the tag.

As explained in operation 608 of the method 600, in response toidentifying the first content based on the tag from the message 904, thecontent selection module 306 generates a presentation of a set ofsuggested content 902 based on the first content associated with thetag.

Software Architecture

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example software architecture1006, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described. FIG. 10 is a non-limiting example of asoftware architecture and it will be appreciated that many otherarchitectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionalitydescribed herein. The software architecture 1006 may execute on hardwaresuch as machine 1100 of FIG. 11 that includes, among other things,processors 1104, memory 1114, and I/O components 1118. A representativehardware layer 1052 is illustrated and can represent, for example, themachine 1000 of FIG. 10. The representative hardware layer 1052 includesa processing unit 1054 having associated executable instructions 1004.Executable instructions 1004 represent the executable instructions ofthe software architecture 1006, including implementation of the methods,components and so forth described herein. The hardware layer 1052 alsoincludes memory and/or storage modules memory/storage 1056, which alsohave executable instructions 1004. The hardware layer 1052 may alsocomprise other hardware 1058.

In the example architecture of FIG. 10, the software architecture 1006may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer providesparticular functionality. For example, the software architecture 1006may include layers such as an operating system 1002, libraries 1020,applications 1016 and a presentation layer 1014. Operationally, theapplications 1016 and/or other components within the layers may invokeapplication programming interface (API) API calls 1008 through thesoftware stack and receive a response as in response to the API calls1008. The layers illustrated are representative in nature and not allsoftware architectures have all layers. For example, some mobile orspecial purpose operating systems may not provide aframeworks/middleware 1018, while others may provide such a layer. Othersoftware architectures may include additional or different layers.

The operating system 1002 may manage hardware resources and providecommon services. The operating system 1002 may include, for example, akernel 1022, services 1024 and drivers 1026. The kernel 1022 may act asan abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers.For example, the kernel 1022 may be responsible for memory management,processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management,networking, security settings, and so on. The services 1024 may provideother common services for the other software layers. The drivers 1026are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlyinghardware. For instance, the drivers 1026 include display drivers, cameradrivers, Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communicationdrivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers,audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on thehardware configuration.

The libraries 1020 provide a common infrastructure that is used by theapplications 1016 and/or other components and/or layers. The libraries1020 provide functionality that allows other software components toperform tasks in an easier fashion than to interface directly with theunderlying operating system 1002 functionality (e.g., kernel 1022,services 1024 and/or drivers 1026). The libraries 1020 may includesystem libraries 1044 (e.g., C standard library) that may providefunctions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulationfunctions, mathematical functions, and the like. In addition, thelibraries 1020 may include API libraries 1046 such as media libraries(e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of variousmedia format such as MPREG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG), graphicslibraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework that may be used to render 2D and3D in a graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLitethat may provide various relational database functions), web libraries(e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsing functionality), and thelike. The libraries 1020 may also include a wide variety of otherlibraries 1048 to provide many other APIs to the applications 1016 andother software components/modules.

The frameworks/middleware 1018 (also sometimes referred to asmiddleware) provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may beused by the applications 1016 and/or other software components/modules.For example, the frameworks/middleware 1018 may provide various graphicuser interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management,high-level location services, and so forth. The frameworks/middleware1018 may provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that may be utilized bythe applications 1016 and/or other software components/modules, some ofwhich may be specific to a particular operating system 1002 or platform.

The applications 1016 include built-in applications 1038 and/orthird-party applications 1040. Examples of representative built-inapplications 1038 may include, but are not limited to, a contactsapplication, a browser application, a book reader application, alocation application, a media application, a messaging application,and/or a game application. Third-party applications 1040 may include anapplication developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software developmentkit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platform,and may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such asIOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or other mobile operating systems. Thethird-party applications 1040 may invoke the API calls 1008 provided bythe mobile operating system (such as operating system 1002) tofacilitate functionality described herein.

The applications 1016 may use built in operating system functions (e.g.,kernel 1022, services 1024 and/or drivers 1026), libraries 1020, andframeworks/middleware 1018 to create user interfaces to interact withusers of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systemsinteractions with a user may occur through a presentation layer, such aspresentation layer 1014. In these systems, the application/component“logic” can be separated from the aspects of the application/componentthat interact with a user.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1100,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 11 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1100 in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions1110 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, orother executable code) for causing the machine 1100 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. As such,the instructions 1110 may be used to implement modules or componentsdescribed herein. The instructions 1110 transform the general,non-programmed machine 1100 into a particular machine 1100 programmed tocarry out the described and illustrated functions in the mannerdescribed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 1100 operates as astandalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine 1100 may operate in the capacityof a server machine or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine 1100 may comprise, but not be limitedto, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), atablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, acellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device(e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance),other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing theinstructions 1110, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to betaken by machine 1100. Further, while only a single machine 1100 isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include acollection of machines that individually or jointly execute theinstructions 1110 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 1100 may include processors 1104, memory memory/storage1106, and I/O components 1118, which may be configured to communicatewith each other such as via a bus 1102. The memory/storage 1106 mayinclude a memory 1114, such as a main memory, or other memory storage,and a storage unit 1116, both accessible to the processors 1104 such asvia the bus 1102. The storage unit 1116 and memory 1114 store theinstructions 1110 embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The instructions 1110 may also reside,completely or partially, within the memory 1114, within the storage unit1116, within at least one of the processors 1104 (e.g., within theprocessor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, duringexecution thereof by the machine 1100. Accordingly, the memory 1114, thestorage unit 1116, and the memory of processors 1104 are examples ofmachine-readable media.

The I/O components 1118 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 1118 that are included in a particular machine 1100 willdepend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such asmobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other suchinput mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely notinclude such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/Ocomponents 1118 may include many other components that are not shown inFIG. 11. The I/O components 1118 are grouped according to functionalitymerely for simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is inno way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components 1118may include output components 1126 and input components 1128. The outputcomponents 1126 may include visual components (e.g., a display such as aplasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)),acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., avibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and soforth. The input components 1128 may include alphanumeric inputcomponents (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumericinput components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointinginstrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touchscreen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures,or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., amicrophone), and the like.

In further example embodiments, the I/O components 1118 may includebiometric components 1130, motion components 1134, environmentalenvironment components 1136, or position components 1138 among a widearray of other components. For example, the biometric components 1130may include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions,facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking),measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voiceidentification, retinal identification, facial identification,fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram basedidentification), and the like. The motion components 1134 may includeacceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensorcomponents, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth.The environment components 1136 may include, for example, illuminationsensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components(e.g., one or more thermometer that detect ambient temperature),humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g.,barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphonesthat detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gasdetection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases forsafety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other componentsthat may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding toa surrounding physical environment. The position components 1138 mayinclude location sensor components (e.g., a Global Position system (GPS)receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters orbarometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived),orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1118 may include communication components 1140operable to couple the machine 1100 to a network 1132 or devices 1120via coupling 1122 and coupling 1124 respectively. For example, thecommunication components 1140 may include a network interface componentor other suitable device to interface with the network 1132. In furtherexamples, communication components 1140 may include wired communicationcomponents, wireless communication components, cellular communicationcomponents, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth®components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and othercommunication components to provide communication via other modalities.The devices 1120 may be another machine or any of a wide variety ofperipheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)).

Moreover, the communication components 1140 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 1140 may include Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2Dbar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components1140, such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location,location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting a NFCbeacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

Glossary

“CARRIER SIGNAL” in this context refers to any intangible medium that iscapable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution bythe machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals orother intangible medium to facilitate communication of suchinstructions. Instructions may be transmitted or received over thenetwork using a transmission medium via a network interface device andusing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols.

“CLIENT DEVICE” in this context refers to any machine that interfaces toa communications network to obtain resources from one or more serversystems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is notlimited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digitalassistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultra books, netbooks,laptops, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, or any othercommunication device that a user may use to access a network.

“COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK” in this context refers to one or more portionsof a network that may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, avirtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wirelessLAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), ametropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of theInternet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), aplain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephonenetwork, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network,or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network ora portion of a network may include a wireless or cellular network andthe coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, aGlobal System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or other typeof cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling mayimplement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology, such asSingle Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), Evolution-DataOptimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology,third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourthgeneration wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE)standard, others defined by various standard setting organizations,other long range protocols, or other data transfer technology.

“EMPHEMERAL MESSAGE” in this context refers to a message that isaccessible for a time-limited duration. An ephemeral message may be atext, an image, a video and the like. The access time for the ephemeralmessage may be set by the message sender. Alternatively, the access timemay be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient.Regardless of the setting technique, the message is transitory.

“MACHINE-READABLE MEDIUM” in this context refers to a component, deviceor other tangible media able to store instructions and data temporarilyor permanently and may include, but is not be limited to, random-accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory,optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types of storage(e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and/or anysuitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers)able to store instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media,that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by amachine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or moreof the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readablemedium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as“cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiplestorage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium”excludes signals per se.

“COMPONENT” in this context refers to a device, physical entity or logichaving boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branchpoints, application program interfaces (APIs), or other technologiesthat provide for the partitioning or modularization of particularprocessing or control functions. Components may be combined via theirinterfaces with other components to carry out a machine process. Acomponent may be a packaged functional hardware unit designed for usewith other components and a part of a program that usually performs aparticular function of related functions. Components may constituteeither software components (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readablemedium) or hardware components. A “hardware component” is a tangibleunit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured orarranged in a certain physical manner. In various example embodiments,one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, aclient computer system, or a server computer system) or one or morehardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a groupof processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application orapplication portion) as a hardware component that operates to performcertain operations as described herein. A hardware component may also beimplemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combinationthereof. For example, a hardware component may include dedicatedcircuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform certainoperations. A hardware component may be a special-purpose processor,such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware component may alsoinclude programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configuredby software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardwarecomponent may include software executed by a general-purpose processoror other programmable processor. Once configured by such software,hardware components become specific machines (or specific components ofa machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and areno longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that thedecision to implement a hardware component mechanically, in dedicatedand permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configuredcircuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and timeconsiderations. Accordingly, the phrase “hardware component”(or“hardware-implemented component”) should be understood to encompass atangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed,permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured(e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certainoperations described herein. Considering embodiments in which hardwarecomponents are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of thehardware components need not be configured or instantiated at any oneinstance in time. For example, where a hardware component comprises ageneral-purpose processor configured by software to become aspecial-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g.,comprising different hardware components) at different times. Softwareaccordingly configures a particular processor or processors, forexample, to constitute a particular hardware component at one instanceof time and to constitute a different hardware component at a differentinstance of time. Hardware components can provide information to, andreceive information from, other hardware components. Accordingly, thedescribed hardware components may be regarded as being communicativelycoupled. Where multiple hardware components exist contemporaneously,communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., overappropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more of thehardware components. In embodiments in which multiple hardwarecomponents are configured or instantiated at different times,communications between such hardware components may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware components have access. Forexample, one hardware component may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware component may then, at alater time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware components may also initiate communications with inputor output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation). The various operations of example methods described hereinmay be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implementedcomponents that operate to perform one or more operations or functionsdescribed herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component”refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors.Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented components. Moreover, the one or more processorsmay also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a“cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application ProgramInterface (API)). The performance of certain of the operations may bedistributed among the processors, not only residing within a singlemachine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some exampleembodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may bedistributed across a number of geographic locations.

“PROCESSOR” in this context refers to any circuit or virtual circuit (aphysical circuit emulated by logic executing on an actual processor)that manipulates data values according to control signals (e.g.,“commands”, “op codes”, “machine code”, etc.) and which producescorresponding output signals that are applied to operate a machine. Aprocessor may, for example, be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), aReduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a ComplexInstruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit(GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC)or any combination thereof. A processor may further be a multi-coreprocessor having two or more independent processors (sometimes referredto as “cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously.

“TIMESTAMP” in this context refers to a sequence of characters orencoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, forexample giving date and time of day, sometimes accurate to a smallfraction of a second.

“LIFT” in this context is a measure of the performance of a targetedmodel at predicting or classifying cases as having an enhanced response(with respect to a population as a whole), measured against a randomchoice targeting model.

“PHONEME ALIGNMENT” in this context, a phoneme is a unit of speech thatdifferentiates one word from another. One phoneme may consist of asequence of closure, burst, and aspiration events; or, a dipthong maytransition from a back vowel to a front vowel. A speech signal maytherefore be described not only by what phonemes it contains, but alsothe locations of the phonemes. Phoneme alignment may therefore bedescribed as a “time-alignment” of phonemes in a waveform, in order todetermine an appropriate sequence and location of each phoneme in aspeech signal.

“AUDIO-TO-VISUAL CONVERSION” in this context refers to the conversion ofaudible speech signals into visible speech, wherein the visible speechmay include a mouth shape representative of the audible speech signal.

“TIME DELAYED NEURAL NETWORK (TDNN)” in this context, a TDNN is anartificial neural network architecture whose primary purpose is to workon sequential data. An example would be converting continuous audio intoa stream of classified phoneme labels for speech recognition.

“BI-DIRECTIONAL LONG-SHORT TERM MEMORY (BLSTM)” in this context refersto a recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture that remembers valuesover arbitrary intervals. Stored values are not modified as learningproceeds. RNNs allow forward and backward connections between neurons.BLSTM are well-suited for the classification, processing, and predictionof time series, given time lags of unknown size and duration betweenevents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: causing display of a firstmessage at a client device, the first message including first content;identifying at least a second content from among a collection of contentbased on a usage metric of the second content, the usage metricindicating a number of times that the second content is selectedsubsequent to receiving the graphical avatar of the first content withina message; determining a ranking of the second content among thecollection of content based on the usage metric of the second content;and causing display of a presentation of the collection of contentwithin the interface element at the client device, the presentation ofthe collection of content including a display of the second content at aposition among the collection of content based on the ranking.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein a sorting of at least a portion of thecollection of content of the presentation is randomized.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the first content of the first message comprises agraphical avatar.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content ofthe first message comprises a text string.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the identifying the second content further comprises:determining a tag based on the first content of the first message; andselecting the second content based on at least the tag.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first message includes an ephemeral message.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the wherein the client device is associatedwith a user profile, and the method further comprises: associating theranking of the second content among the collection of content with theuser profile associated with the client device.
 8. A system comprising:a memory; and at least one hardware processor coupled to the memory andcomprising instructions that causes the system to perform operationscomprising: causing display of a first message at a client device, thefirst message including first content; identifying at least a secondcontent from among a collection of content based on a usage metric ofthe second content, the usage metric indicating a number of times thatthe second content is selected subsequent to receiving the graphicalavatar of the first content within a message; determining a ranking ofthe second content among the collection of content based on the usagemetric of the second content; and causing display of a presentation ofthe collection of content within the interface element at the clientdevice, the presentation of the collection of content including adisplay of the second content at a position among the collection ofcontent based on the ranking.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein asorting of at least a portion of the collection of content of thepresentation is randomized.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the firstcontent of the first message comprises a graphical avatar.
 11. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the first content of the first messagecomprises a text string.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein theidentifying the second content further comprises: determining a tagbased on the first content of the first message; and selecting thesecond content based on at least the tag.
 13. The system of claim 8,wherein the first message includes an ephemeral message.
 14. The systemof claim 8, wherein the wherein the client device is associated with auser profile, and the operations further comprise: associating theranking of the second content among the collection of content with theuser profile associated with the client device.
 15. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: causing display of a first message at aclient device, the first message including first content; identifying atleast a second content from among a collection of content based on ausage metric of the second content, the usage metric indicating a numberof times that the second content is selected subsequent to receiving thegraphical avatar of the first content within a message; determining aranking of the second content among the collection of content based onthe usage metric of the second content; and causing display of apresentation of the collection of content within the interface elementat the client device, the presentation of the collection of contentincluding a display of the second content at a position among thecollection of content based on the ranking.
 16. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein a sorting of atleast a portion of the collection of content of the presentation israndomized.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the first content of the first message comprises agraphical avatar.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage mediumof claim 15, wherein the first content of the first message comprises atext string.
 19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the identifying the second content further comprises:determining a tag based on the first content of the first message; andselecting the second content based on at least the tag.
 20. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein thefirst message includes an ephemeral message.